Love or Lust (LOL): Part 3

“How are you today, Presley?” she asks.

“What do you want?” I retort, forgoing the niceties.

“I came over to bring you the schedule for the rest of the week. We had to change a few things around to accommodate for what the guys have planned for you ladies.” She hands me a schedule, but I don’t bother to look at it.

“Anything else?”

“Not right now. Have a good day,” she sings as she turns and walks away.

What the hell is up with her? I don’t think she’s ever been that nice to anyone. Not that I’ve seen anyway.

Once I’m dressed, I snag the new schedule off the coffee table where I tossed it after Claudia left. It doesn’t look like anything has changed this week except for our location and call time on Sunday for the final show.

Rolling my eyes, I set the new schedule on the kitchen counter on top of all the other paperwork I’ve been given while here. That’s when I spot the original schedule for this week. Comparing the two, I see the differences Claudia was smiling about.

First, all information about when and where our dates are to take place has been deleted. Not that it really matters. I’m still scheduled to go out with Lennon tonight and Milo tomorrow.

Then, instead of having a day to pack and spend doing whatever I wanted, I’m now shopping with Bella all afternoon. I could use a new pair of shoes. Something I’m not concerned with walking in since the ceremony has been moved to the lawn area just outside the stables.

Which is the final change I notice.

The last time I wore heels in the grass, I almost broke my ankle. I’d hate to have a repeat on live television.

Plus, Jace won’t be there to catch me if I fall.

If I’m buying new shoes, I should probably figure out which dress I’m going to wear now. And pack a little. Get organized like I claimed I was going to do last night.

My headache is manageable and my clothes are sorted by the time Lennon knocks at my door for our date. I’m halfway packed, and my bed is covered in potential outfits for the big finale.

“You’re really ready to get the hell out of here, aren’t you?” Lennon asks when he spots the mess I’ll have to clean up before I crawl in bed tonight.

“Aren’t you?” I counter, slipping into a pair of chunky sandals.

“I mean, yeah, but not as ready as you are apparently. I have shit I need to get back to, but I’m also not looking forward to dealing with it.”

“Work stuff?”

“Yeah. I was able to hand off a few of my cases while I was gone, but stuff keeps popping up, and I honestly wasn’t planning on being here until the end, so I have a full caseload as soon as I get back. I’m due in court less than twenty-four hours after my plane lands.”

“How’s that going to work? Don’t you need to prep for that?”

“I have been. Every single night. I was on a conference call all morning with my boss. He’s been handling a lot of things for me, acting as the middleman. I’m still doing the work, only he’s the one meeting with the clients. I’ll be ready, but if I had more time, I’d feel a little better about it.”

“Why’d you want to be a lawyer?” I ask when I catch sight of Lennon sniffing the blue roses out of the corner of my eye.

“To help people, of course.”

“That’s what all lawyers say. What’s the truth?”

“Well, when I was a teenager, I saw what my aunt went through when she got divorced. My uncle was abusive, verbally, and he tried to leave her with nothing even though she paid for him to get his degree with part of her trust fund. In the end, he won somehow, and I was pissed. He was the abuser. He was the one that was cheating. But she was the one that filed for divorce, and the judge looked down on that. He saw it as giving up on their marriage, and in the end, she lost big time. I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen to someone else. To someone who didn’t deserve to lose everything in hopes of a better life.”

“And how’s that working out for you?”

“Not all my clients deserve better than they get. I try to be choosy about what cases I take on, but sometimes I’m given cases I don’t want. It still amazes me how many assholes there are in this world and how far some people will go to destroy others.”

You can hear how much he cares about making things right for his clients. And how irritating it can be to stand up for someone who doesn’t deserve it.

Thankfully, Lennon’s disposition doesn’t seem to be affected by our conversation as we make our way toward the main house.